A cross-sectional study on food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE

Abstract

PurposeThe aims of this study were to assess the food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE and test the association between their socio-demographic characteristics and food safety knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA non-probabilistic sample of 231 domestic workers who help families in food preparation and/or cooking participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants completed a questionnaire composed of socio-demographic characteristics and four different aspects of food safety knowledge (personal hygiene, food poisoning, cross-contamination and temperature control).FindingsIt was observed that the domestic workers had inadequate knowledge about food safety with an overall food safety knowledge score of 32.9%. Total knowledge of “personal hygiene” and “cross-contamination” was relatively higher (46.2 and 43.9%, respectively) than that of “food poisoning” (18.1%) and “temperature control” (23.3%). A significant (P-value < 0.05) association was observed between overall food safety knowledge and marital status, age and education level, but not nationality of domestic workers (Asian or African).Originality/valueThe findings of this study are expected to encourage policy makers mandate food safety trainings for this segment of the population besides helping them in creating awareness and training programs regarding food safety.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices among female food handlers engaged in home-based online food businesses in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The mean knowledge and practices score percent of the personal hygiene aspect recorded in our study (76.8 %) is the highest score among the other aspects. This is higher than the 46.2% reported among domestic workers in the UAE (Osaili et al, 2021) and 41.7% reported among operators of food businesses in the Philippines (Limon, 2021). This shows that the females in our study gave importance to personal hygiene during food preparation.…”

“…On the other hand, 95.9% of the females in Lahore knew that washing raw fruits and vegetables in cold running water makes them safe to eat ( Naeem et al., 2018 ), while in the current study, only 48.5% were aware about the practice. Several studies have considered kitchen sponges as a crucial reservoir of food pathogens that can contaminate food ( Osaili et al., 2021 ; Sharma et al., 2009 ). Only 27.5% of the females in our study knew that soaking and washing the kitchen sponge with water was the least safe procedure to disinfect it.…”

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Jordanian women handling food at home during COVID-19 pandemic

“…The proportion of women who knew how to wipe and sanitize the kitchen countertop (85.4%) was greater than the proportion of Slovenian consumers (59.7%) [32]. Given that the kitchen sink should always be disinfected daily to prevent foodborne diseases [43], about 87% of respondents in the present survey cleaned their kitchen sinks regularly, as shown in…”

“…With a score percent mean of 37.9%, respondents in our survey had inadequate knowledge and unfavorable attitudes about "health issues that would affect food safety." Pathogenic microorganism-contaminated meals do not have to taste, smell, or appear different from safe-to-eat foods [43], but only 18.2% knew that (Fig 6). In the present study, over two-thirds of the women (63.5%) knew that handling foods with an open cut on the back of their hands was hazardous.…”

Systematic mapping of food safety outbreaks in the hospitality sector in the Dominican Republic

“…Therefore, there is national and local interest from public health authorities and tourism stakeholders to develop effective food hygiene and safety standards and management systems for the distribution of food and beverages in hospitality settings to ensure that they are safe to consume. Moreover, audits and training must occur regularly in accordance with national food safety regulations (Barnes et al, 2022;Elobeid et al, 2019;Insfran-Rivarola et al, 2020;McFarland et al, 2019;Osaili et al, 2021). To sustain this success, proactive and preventive food safety measures in the hospitality industry need to be enforced and adopted by food service facilities, managers, food handlers and public health officials to reduce the risk of FBDOs.…”